Češi v Americe:
The Nebraska Happening
What happened in Nebraska during the August SVU Conference was unique and
truly phenomenal which cannot be expressed by a better term than "Happening."
Those of us who came there from other states or foreign countries felt like
Alice in Wonderland or, as the Czechs say, "u Jirikovo videni."
The outpouring of kindness, goodwill and friendship was ever present wherever
you looked, accompanied by a broad smile and helping hand. You could feel
that it was all genuine.
I came there a day earlier "to check on things," landing in Omaha. I was
picked up at the airport and driven to Lincoln, the capital of Nebraska,
where our conference was held. By coincidence, it happened to be my birthday.
My Nebraska friends threw me a surprise and joyous birthday party and from
that point onward things began rolling.
We were all housed in fabulous, brand-new hotel-like suites in Kauffman
Center, on the University of Nebraska campus, consisting of living room,
kitchen and two nice rooms, for the price of regular student dormitories.
Each room was equipped with all the amenities, including thermostats which
allowed one to control temperature in each room. Whenever you needed
something, you simply called the front desk and they would promptly take care
of your needs. What a difference from the dormitories we had during our
previous conferences and congresses. The prepaid food was served in the
Selleck Hall which was situated next to Kauffman Hall where we were staying.
The food was excellent and abundant and served in the form of a buffet.
Most of the Conference attendees began arriving on Wednesday afternoon August
1. After registration, which was initially conveniently placed in the
Kauffman Center, the participants were treated to a reception in the close-by
Wick Alumni Center. Apart from the scrumptious food and good company, we were
entertained by music and song. Music performers included Svetlana Yashirin,
piano, Budomir Zvolanek, clarinet, and Joel Blahnik and Anita Smisek of Czech
Music Alliance. The program included a number of presentations from various
Nebraska groups that took part in the Conference organization, including Ron
Stiles, President of the Czech Komensky Club; Helen Pejsar, Nebraska Czechs
of Lincoln; Glen Riensche, Czech Language Foundation; Merlin Lawson, Dean of
International Affairs at UNL; Dr. Oliva, Dean of the College of Fine and
Performing Arts at UNL; John Fiala, President Elect, Nebraska Czechs Inc.;
and Mayor Don Weseley. Carmelee Tuma, Assistant to the Governor of Nebraska,
brought his personal greetings and presented to the SVU President a special
proclamation making him an "Admiral of the Nebraska Navy." It was all in good
fun.
The Conference opened the following day in the spacious Nebraska Union
Auditorium, with all seats occupied at eight o'clock sharp. After the four
national anthems (US, Canadian, Czech and Slovak) which were performed by
Joel Blahnik, Anita Smisek, Maureen Beck, and the Capital City Czech
Choraliers, came words of welcome from the University Dean of Arts and
Sciences, Dr. Richard J. Hoffmann, followed by my official opening, in my
capacity as SVU President.
Next on the program was Dr. Mila Saskova-Pierce, Chair of the Conference
Organizing Committee, and Dr. Russell Ganim, Chair of the Department of
Modern Languages and Literatures. They were followed by Kate Witek, Auditor
of Public Accounts of the State of Nebraska, who brought greetings and a
special message from Governor Mike Johanns. On the occasion the Governor
proclaimed the days of our Conference, August 1 through 3, 2001, as
"Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences Days."
Then came Don Weseley, the newly elected Mayor of Lincoln, who welcomed the
participants on behalf of the State Capital Lincoln, mentioning his Czech
ancestors who settled in Nebraska in the late 1800s. (His name was originally
spelled Vesely.) This was followed by a message from US Senator Chuck Hagel.
The official part of the program was concluded with the greetings of Petr
Gandalovic, Consul General of the Czech Republic, who addressed the audience
on behalf of the Czech Republic. The program ended by a musical performance
of the Capital City Czech Choraliers.
After a short coffee and "kolache" break, the SVU Conference started in
earnest. Three or more sessions usually ran concurrently, following the
printed program. All lecture rooms were equipped with the latest equipment.
Most sessions were well attended and went smoothly. Each session was usually
concluded with a question and answer period and frequently with an animated
discussion. Space does not allow description of individual sessions which ran
concurrently for two full days, August 2 and 3. It should be noted that a
number of panels were attended by younger audience, as well as by younger
presenters, which was one of the main objectives of the conference.
A special plenary session was devoted to the Presidential Symposium, "The
Role of Ethnic Organizations in Preserving Our Cultural Heritage", which I
had the pleasure to chair, with the participation of chief executive officers
of ethnic organizations in the US. The session included representatives of
the American Sokol Organization, Bohemia Benevolent and Literary Organization
of New York, Bohemian Citizen's Benevolent Society of Astoria, Czech and
Slovak Heritage Association of Maryland, Czech and Slovak Music Society,
Czech and Slovak Society of Oregon, Czech Heritage Society of Texas, Czech
Language Foundation of Nebraska, Czechoslovak American National Council of
America, Komensky Club, National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library,
Nebraska Czechs Inc., Nebraska Czechs of Lincoln, Nebraska Czechs of Wilber,
Oklahoma Czechs, and Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas. The
Czech Republic was represented by Jaromir Slapota of the Czechoslovak Foreign
Institute and Senator Milan Spacek, Chair of the Permanent Committee of the
Senate for Czechs Abroad. Deputy Jiri Karas, Chair of a comparable committee
in the Czech House of Representatives, was unable to attend.
During the lunch on Thursday, the participants were entertained by former
Miss Czech-Slovak USA Queens and during the Friday luncheon they were
addressed by Chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dr. Harvey
Perlman. On Friday afternoon, the SVU General Assembly meeting was held with
the customary State of the SVU Report by the SVU President. The latter, as
well as the resolution voted on by the Assembly, are printed separately.
In the evening of August 3, there was the SVU banquet, featuring Rechcigl and
Petr Gandalovic as speakers, followed by presentations of SVU Presidential
citations to selected organizations that have made contributions to the
preservation of Czech and Slovak cultural heritage in the US. These
organizations were identical with those which took part in the SVU
Presidential Symposium, associated with the National Heritage Commission.
Additional citations were awarded to Matice Vyssiho Vzdelani, Slovak American
International Cultural Foundation, and Masaryk Club and individuals: Jiri
Eichler, Mila Saskova-Pierce, Tom Zumpfe, and Cathleen Oslzly. The latter,
who likes to be called "Kacenka," was the chief driving force behind the
Conference, received for her extraordinary effort a crystal vase from the SVU
and an airfare voucher to the SVU Congress in Plzen next year donated to SVU
by Tatra Travel. Czech and Slovak Ambassadors Alexandr Vondra and Martin
Butora, under whose auspices the Conference was organized, sent their
personal messages which were read.
Other activities concurrent to the SVU Conference included an Accordion Jam
session on Thursday afternoon, the Czech Language Foundation Awards Banquet
followed by a polka dance Thursday evening in the Cornhusker Hotel Grand
Ballroom, the Wilber Children's Beseda Dancers entertaining the same evening
at the Cornhusker, and the film "Divided We Fall" showing at the Sheldon Film
Theater.
On Saturday, August 4, many of the Conference participants boarded a bus to
Wilber, Nebraska to take part in the famous Wilber Czech Festival. This was a
happening in its own right, resembling in many ways a traditional Czech
"pout," except on a much larger scale, accompanied by a traditional American
parade and beauty pageant, culminating in the selection of the Czech and
Slovak Queen. SVU Secretary General Frank Safertal, and I, in my capacity as
SVU President, had the pleasure of being driven in the parade with our names
and office insignia exhibited on the cars.
Judging as a whole, the SVU conference in Nebraska and everything connected
with it was a great success, thanks to local leaders and organizers like
Cathleen Oslzly, Mila Saskova-Pierce and her husband Layne, Tom Zumpfe, John
Fiala, and Ron and Jitka Stiles, as well as a number of organizations which
enthusiastically worked with them as a team. The Nebraska Czechs of Lincoln
were the greeters in "kroje"(authentic national costumes), beginning
Wednesday in the Kauffman Center and continuing until the final presentation
on Friday. They also monitored all presentation rooms in the Nebraska
Student Union. They are to be commended for all of their fantastic efforts,
including the Wall of Remembrance at the Great Plains Art Collection. The
Nebraska organizers found a number of local sponsors which helped to defray
costs so our registration fees were kept very low and most of the social and
cultural events could be provided gratis. SVU will be forever grateful to
them.
Those of you who attended the Nebraska Conference will most assuredly agree
that it was a true "happening."
